Creta petrol owner upgrades to 2022 Tucson diesel: Pros, Cons & review

If I draw a comparison of my Tucson with the Tiguan, the VW SUV may feel very much like a big 3 German car but the absence of a diesel is a sucker.

BHPian CEF_Beasts recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Wanted to check out the 4th Gen Tucson, ever since it was launched back in 2022.

Was in the vicinity of the Modi Hyundai showroom in Kanjurmarg, with some time to kill called them to ask about the TD vehicle being available to which they confirmed yes and I was at the dealership in 15 minutes.

For reference, I purchased my Creta Petrol AT from the same dealership 6 years back.

What I Liked

• Solid build quality unlike other Hyundais, several soft touch points are present throughout the cabin and being a CKD it shows.
• All seats are extremely soft and comfortable. Ventilated Front seats work just like they should and my back was cooled within 5 mins
• The knurled pattern on the piano-black indicator and wiper stalks felt damn premium dare I say even more than my BMW !! Now that’s saying something…
• The 540L boot is well-shaped and can take in lots of luggage.
• The space for knick-knacks in the centre console is extremely well thought out: 2 large cup holders right beside the gear-lever and some space ahead of the gear-lever which houses the wireless charger as well.
• Since India gets the LWB version, the legroom in the backseat is brilliant, coupled with a backrest that can be reclined in multiple stages and the Boss button to move the front passenger seat forward.
• Unlike the Tiguan which is extremely stiff, the Tucson’s suspension has the right balance of stiff & cushy.
• The beige colour theme used for the interior just livens up the entire experience inside the cabin
• A simple 2 variant layout: Platinum and Signature. The Platinum trim is well-loaded as well!
• It is easy to drive, masks its size well from behind the wheel, and just doesn’t feel like a ~4.7mm long Crossover/SUV.
• A brilliant Crossover/SUV for someone looking for a sedate highway cruiser, that can return great fuel economy and at the same time be confidence-inspiring out on the Indian Highways.
• A well-calibrated and light steering wheel that weighs up as speed increases, unlike the one in my 1st Gen Creta.
• Not a single rattle or squeak from any corner in the car, everything felt solid and well built, perks of being a CKD unit.
• Touched 100kmph on the EEH from a standstill at a signal and the Tucson did it effortlessly and in no time at all!
• This is easily the BEST 2.0L Diesel present in the country currently! The power delivery, the eagerness with which the car just lunges forward with just a dab on the accelerator and the 416Nm torque surge kicking in need to be experienced!

What I Loathed

• The same beige interior that gives the cabin a very airy feeling, doesn't take time to get dirty.
• Ever since I have gotten used to an adaptive damper setup, Tucson's suspension setup did feel a bit underwhelming at higher speeds where the car did feel floaty, a place where the Tiguan's stiffer setup would've shined through.
• The touch buttons for everything right from the touchscreen to the Climate Control panel are a pain to operate and a finger-print magnet as well.NVH and engine refinement which is a Hyundai trait were absent, I could feel the Diesel engine's slightly gruff nature including some vibrations on the pedals for a 3k-odd kms run TD vehicle.
• The brakes lack the sure-footedness one expects from a car at this price point, they're not 1st Gen Creta level bad but an improvement is something I would expect, or the fact that it's an abused TD vehicle.

Time to break the monotony with some pictures that I managed to click.

Conclusion

Starting from 37L for the Petrol AT Platinum trim and going to 44L OTR Mumbai for the Diesel AT Signature HTRAC, I would say the Tucson is just slightly overpriced. For a vehicle with a Hyundai Badge it may seem very overpriced but trust me that Diesel Engine is a real G-E-M and the car is a solid package available in the Mid-sized Crossover segment in the Indian Market !!

Skoda and VW have moved away from Diesels and the Big 3 Germans have also kind of given up on Diesels in the entry-level SUV segment (Q3, X1 and GLA) and this is exactly where the Tucson strikes and it strikes hard ! Petrol Tucson will be a different matter since it has a NA engine compared to all turbo-petrol competitors.

I have travelled in my friend's Tiguan and if I draw a comparison with Tucson, the Tiguan may feel very much like a Big 3 German car but the absence of a Diesel is a sucker and the Tucson which I assume will be cheaper to maintain has far better space, comfort, a better performing HTRAC AWD system compared to the Haldex AWD unit present in the Tiguan & Kodiaq and the 8 speed TC AT shifts extremely well at low speeds in comparison to the slightly laggy 7 speed DSG DQ381, at higher speeds, the 8AT doesn't lag but the DQ381 just shifts faster that's it. So it's the Tucson that will be my pick if I had to pick up a Mid-sized AWD Crossover in the market today even over the likes of the Big 3 Germans (Q3, X1 and GLA).

The dealership experience was particularly nice since only the Signature dealerships sell the Tucson and dedicated SAs are allotted for the Signature products. The SA Mr. Pranit had brilliant knowledge of Tucson and usually where I sometimes correct the SAs of other brands I didn’t have to do that here. Modi Hyundai does have some MY23 Tucson stock with them in case anyone is interested in one.

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